VCSEncoder.exe
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Advanced users; Choosing Settings in Command Line
The following commands will dictate how the video is compressed:

Width and Height- Dimensions of the encoded file

• -w(###) whereas (###) = width in pixels or (-###) = percentage of source dimension width
  
• -h(###) whereas (###) = height in pixels or (-###) = percentage of source dimension height
  
  If only width is specified, the height will be automatically adjusted to preserve the aspect ratio of the source file. Adversely, if only the height is specified, the width will be adjusted to preserve the aspect ratio.
  If width or height are not set or are set to zero, the original width and height of the source file will be used.
  By setting width or height to a negative number, the width or height can be adjusted as a percentage of the source file dimension, effectively adjusting the aspect ratio. Example: -w-900 will reduce the width by 90% while -h-2000 will double the height
  
  Cropping / Export Frame
  
  
• -t {##},{##},{##},{##} whereas {##} = cropped value in pixels
  
  {left},{right},{top},{bottom} Cropped value is in pixels, based on the source file dimensions.
  eg.-t12,4,0,0 -> trim 12 pixels off of left, 4 off of right, prior to adjusting dimensions.
  
  
• -c{####},{####} whereas {##} = cropped value in milliseconds
  
  Cropped value is in milliseconds, based on the source file time.
  eg.-c4000,119000 -> crop 4 seconds off of the beginning of the video, 1 second off of the end of a 2 minute video.
  *Note possible implications if using -p at the same time.
  
  
• -p{time},{filename},{time},filename} Export a picture.
  
  Extract frames from the source timeline [{ms},{*.jpg}[,{ms},{*.jpg}]
  Time = ms of the source file. The first frame after cropping is taken if the selected time is before the cropping, it is skipped if it's beyond the cropping
  Filename = filename of the output jpeg file.
  e.g.-p5000,5thSec.jpg,21000,21stSec.jpg
  
  Data Rates - Video and Audio
  
  
• -b(xxx) whereas (xxx) = bits per second (56k:40000, CABLE:300000)
  
  The Data Rate is the targeted minimum connection speed for the viewer. If the Data Rate is not set, the quality will be unlimited. The Audio Data Rate will be subtracted from this value to calculate the Video Data Rate.
  
  
• -m optimize audio for music. Intended for lower speed playback.
• -v optimize audio for voice. Intended for high speed playback.
• -a audio bitrate (0-32000) Zero is silence, 8000 is generally the lowest acceptable, 32000 is intended for high speed playback.
  
  Music/low bit rate is the default; voice is defaulted off. If the audio bitrate is not specified, it will default to 24000.
  
  
• -e(xxx) whereas (xxx) = audio signal emphasis (0.0 - 0.99) Generally left to the default setting.
  
  If the frames per second is not specified, it will default to .89
  
  
  Frames per second
  
  
• -f(xxx)
  
  Whereas (xxx) = frames per second (0.01-15) If the frames per second is not specified, it will default to 10fps.
  
  Video Image Quality
  
  
• -q(##,##)
  
  Whereas (##) = minimum picture quality, maximum picture quality (15-99) If the quality is not specified, it will default to 40. If only one variable is entered, the Encoder will reduce quality as necessary but only to one third of that value. If more quality is asked for than the data rate can accommodate, the Encoder will be forced to skip frames.
  
  Idle / Messaging
  
  
• -i set encoding priority to idle
  
  This allows the encoding to run in the background, not affecting other tasks.

• -y pop up a message indicating encoding is done upon copmpletion of the encoding task
  
  Secure Streaming
  
  
• -s (###########) whereas (##########) = Security ID.
  
  Your Security ID (not Clipstream™ Video code key) Please contact your Sales Contact for more information.
  *Please do not confuse the Secure ID with your Clipstream™ Video code key.
  
  
  Command structure: VCSEncoder -(use desired settings options) input{.AVI, .MPEG, .MP3, .WAV, .MOV} output {using specified path if necessary}
  
  If the output path and/or name is not specified, the file will retain the source name with a suffix referring to the bit rate and a .vcs extension and be saved to the source folder
  
  Some Examples:
  
  Source: test.mov 480x240 24fps
  
  Command: VCSEncoder -w136 -h96 -f3 -b35000 -q55 -a12000 -i test.mov
  Converts to: 136x96, 3fps, target quality 55, audio data rate 12 kbps, 35 kb stream, output = test035.vcs
  Command: VCSEncoder -h80 -f7.5 -b200000 test.mov
  Converts to 160x80, 7.5fps, 200kb stream, target quality 40, output = test200.vcs
  Command: VCSEncoder -f10 -q80 test.mov
  Converts to: 480x240, 10fps, high quality stream, target quality 80, output = test500.vcs

Batch Files

One of the convenient features of working in command line is the ability to make a batch file for a series of speeds and/or videos. Here is an example of a Clipstream™ Video batch file:

A list like that is created in notepad and then saved as something like 'batchfile.bat' to the folder that the VCSEncoder.exe is stored. Then by going into command line and running batchfile.bat, the videos will be encoded.

This image illustrates the path to a batch file saved in the VCSEncoder directory. The *.vcs files in the above batch file will be found in the source file directory as the output path was not specified.

Possible Issues, Error Messages:

Bad update messages: --generally a corrupt frame found in the file.
- If the file finishes encoding, it should be okay. It will skip the suspect frame(s).

ERROR: Invalid input File: --that is a peculiar problem that pops up occasionally. A few things to try:
-Ensure that the file is not 'in use' by another program such as a media player. (close other apps or even restart your system) That is the most common problem.
-Check the full path(s) for spaces, non-standard characters, etc.
-Be sure that the file is not in a proprietary format. Even though the extension is .avi, it could be unreadable in many programs

Videos encoded from CD --if the source file is on a disk that you cannot write to, be sure to specify an output path!